A Pain In The Butt – Get Your Glutes Back On Track

Too say we use our often would be an understatement, we use them when we walk, when we sit and they even help stabilize our hips.

However glutes themselves actually consist of 3 muscles:

Gluteus Maximus – the largest of the three, responsible for strength and extending the hip.

Gluteus Medius – positioned on the side of the hip & mainly responsible for stabilizing the hip region.

Gluteus Minimus – lies underneath the gluteus medius and assists with both stabilization and movement.

Together these muscles are very powerful and play an important role in posture and how we walk (gait).

There are generally 2 reasons we get pain in our glutes

1. They are overused and develop tightness & knots, resulting in pain

2. The muscles have switched off and become weak & lazy and don't do their job properly

The Real Problem

Having problems with our glutes doesn’t only affect that area of our body. It is common for those with gluteus issues to experience back pain and tight hamstrings as these muscles have to pick up the slack and work harder to accommodate for the lack of work being done by the gluteal muscles.

Poor glute management can also lead to muscular imbalance, which result in pelvic tilts, thus leading to extra pressure on the surrounding joints.

Finding A Fix

In order to solve these problems, there needs to be a balance between treating/stretching the muscles and strengthening them so they function properly again.

Your Myotherapist at Medwest Health Care may use treatment techniques such as

1. Deep Tissue Massage

2. Trigger Point Therapy

3. Dry Needling

4. Taking you through some Active/Passive Stretches

5. Suggesting appropriate exercises

Your glutes can easily be treated at home with a massage/spiky or tennis ball.

Simply place the massage ball or regular tennis ball on the ground and sit on the ball, slowly rolling it around each side of your glutes, concentrating on those tight spots.

To strengthen the glutes you can do some reps of ‘bridges’ by Lying on your back with your knees up. Gently raise your bottom off the ground, squeezing your glutes as you lift. Resistance band is a good progression for this exercise.

Book an appointment with your Myotherapist or Remedial Massage Therapist at Medwest Health Care to have your glutes assessed, treated and a specific treatment schedule tailored just for you!